The Subaru Forester continues to shine as a roomy and safe 5-seat compact SUV with excellent fuel efficiency and a rugged character for which the brand is famous.
All-wheel drive (AWD) with torque vectoring continues to be standard in the Japanese-built Forester, rated by the EPA at 26 mpg city/33 mpg highway/29 mpg combined.
All 2023 Subaru Forester models come equipped with seven airbags and the Subaru EyeSight safety suite. In addition to a forward-collision warning with automatic emergency braking, EyeSight includes lane-keeping assist and a lane-departure warning.
Thanks partly to its abundant standard safety technologies, the Subaru Forester has been named a Top Safety Pick+ by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
As was true last year, the Subaru offers the Forester in the following trim configurations: Base, Premium, Wilderness, Limited, and Touring. While most 2023 Subaru Foresters have a maximum towing capacity of 1,500 pounds, the Wilderness is rated at 3,000 pounds.
Competition in the compact SUV category continues to be fierce. Chief among the Forester’s top rivals are the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V. Still, others include the Chevrolet Equinox, Ford Escape, Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, Mazda CX-5, Nissan Rogue, and Volkswagen Tiguan.
Forester Base
Starts at $26,395 | See 2023 Subaru Forester Base for Sale
- 2.5-liter engine with 182 horsepower
- AWD
- Apple CarPlay/Android Auto with 6.5-inch screen
- 8.7 inches of ground clearance
- Steering-responsive LED headlights
- 17-inch steel wheels
- Black folding side mirrors
- 60/40 split-folding rear seatback
- Tilt/telescope steering wheel
- Automatic climate control
- 4-speaker audio system
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Forester Premium
Starts at $29,395 | See 2023 Subaru Forester Premium
- 10-way power driver’s seat
- Heated front seats
- Leather-wrapped steering wheel
- Keyless access/pushbutton start
- Panoramic power moonroof
- X-mode AWD with Hill Descent Control
- Roof spoiler
- Body-color folding side mirrors
- Windshield wiper de-icer
- Raised roof rails
- 6-speaker audio system
- 4G LTE Wi-Fi
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Forester Sport
Starts at $30,965 | See 2023 Subaru Forester Sport for Sale
- Sport styling enhancements
- Blind-spot detection/rear cross-traffic alert
- Two-tone cloth upholstery with orange stitching
- Black 18-inch alloy wheels
- LED foglights
- Stainless steel exhaust outlet
- Leather-wrapped shift handle
- Color multifunction display
- Paddle shifters
- Dual rear USB charging ports
- Cargo area light
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Forester Wilderness
Starts at $34,020 | See 2023 Subaru Forester Wilderness for Sale
- Upgraded off-road suspension
- 9.2 inches of ground clearance
- Dual-function X-mode AWD
- 180-degree front-view monitor
- Water-repellent upholstery
- 3,000-pound towing capacity
- Matte-black 17-inch alloy wheels
- Full-size spare tire
- 8.0-inch infotainment screen
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Forester Limited
Starts at $33,075 | See 2023 Subaru Forester Limited for Sale
- Leather upholstery
- Power tailgate
- Dual-zone automatic climate control
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Forester Touring
Starts at $36,495 | See 2023 Subaru Forester Touring for Sale
- Upgraded leather upholstery
- Navigation
- Harman Kardon premium audio
- Power front seats with driver memory
- Heated front and rear seats
- Heated steering wheel
- Distraction Mitigation System
- Satin-chrome folding side mirrors
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2023 Subaru Forester Base: $26,395
The 2023 Subaru Forester Base comes reasonably well-equipped. Besides the 2.5-liter flat-4 engine and an advanced full-time AWD system, the Forester comes with 17-inch wheels, 4-wheel disc brakes, and power windows, door locks, and mirrors. You also get automatic climate control, a tilt/telescope steering wheel, a height-adjustable driver’s seat, remote keyless entry, and a pair of USB-A input/charge ports.
Also standard: Subaru Starlink. This comprehensive communications and multimedia system includes a 6.5-inch high-resolution touchscreen with Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, SiriusXM radio, and a 4-speaker sound system with — get this — a CD player.
The other most notable standard feature on the base 2023 Forester is Subaru’s EyeSight Driver Assist Technology. Adaptive cruise control with lane centering and pre-collision braking is the highlight of this safety suite, but it also comes with lane-departure warning and lead vehicle start, which alerts you when the vehicle in front of you at the red light has taken off.
For $625, you can get an option package that includes silver-finish 17-inch alloy wheels and a ladder-type roof rack with a static load limit of 700 pounds, which means it can support a rooftop tent.
Adding the $1,225 destination fee to the base Forester’s base price brings the total to $27,620. With no money down, financing for 60 months at 5% interest works out to a monthly payment of about $521. See 2023 Subaru Forester models for sale near you
2023 Subaru Forester includes:
- AWD – Subaru’s Symmetrical AWD includes torque vectoring.
- Apple CarPlay/Android Auto – It’s great having smartphone features in your vehicle.
- Subaru EyeSight – This standard safety suite is highlighted by a forward-collision warning with automatic emergency braking and lane-keeping assist.
2023 Subaru Forester Premium: $29,395
For an extra $3,000, the Subaru Forester Premium gets you a load of additional equipment. In addition to a 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, heated front seats, and heated outboard mirrors, you get a panoramic sunroof, push-button start, keyless entry, a windshield de-icer, and a Wi-Fi hot spot.
Other standard niceties on the 2023 Subaru Forester Premium include a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a 6-speaker audio system, and black 17-inch aluminum alloy wheels with a machined surface. What’s more, the Forester Premium comes with ladder-type roof rails and tinted privacy glass, plus an X-Mode AWD system tuned to work more effectively in off-road situations than the stock AWD system. It comes standard with Hill Descent Control.
Inside the Forester Premium, you’ll find a leather-wrapped steering wheel with silver stitching, chrome-finish interior door handles, and dash trim in black with a silver metallic finish.
The one available option package comes highly recommended. For a reasonable $1,165, you get a blind-spot monitor, lane-change assist, rear cross-traffic alert, automatic emergency steering, two additional USB-A charge ports (on the back of the center console), and a power rear liftgate with height memory.
Also noteworthy: Subaru’s SI-Drive is standard from the Premium level up. With Intelligent and Sport modes, this system helps the Forester driver extract the best performance from the 182-horsepower flat-4, which has an appealing, grumbly character and teams with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). Although earlier Foresters were available with a manual gearbox, one hasn’t been available in the Forester since 2018.
Adding the $1,225 destination fee to the Premium base price makes the total $30,620. Financing that amount with no money down for 60 months at 5% interest works out to about $578 per month. See 2023 Subaru Forester Premium models for sale near you
2023 Subaru Forester Premium includes:
- 10-way driver’s seat – This power seat includes a lumbar adjustment to help comfort your lower back on long trips.
- Heated front seats – No better way to stay warm on a cold winter day, we say.
- Larger front brakes – From the Premium trim up, the Forester gets 12.4-inch front brakes versus 11.6-inch ones on the base model.
2023 Subaru Forester Sport: $30,965
The Forester Sport, which gets standard blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and 18-inch alloy wheels, is designed to have a sporty and youthful aesthetic.
To that end, the Forester Sport gets gloss-black body trim, black-finish 18-inch wheels, and a black rear roof spoiler. Subaru underscores the look by contrasting orange accents on the side and front lower valances and roof rail mounts, plus the orange Sport badge on the rear of this Forester.
Orange accents continue inside, where designers finished the cloth interior in an attractive dark gray.
Mechanically, the Forester Sport gets paddle shifters and a Sport Sharp SI-Drive mode that sharpens throttle response. It also gets dual-function X-Mode AWD, which has Snow/Dirt and Deep Snow/Mud modes. These allow more wheelspin than the standard X-Mode system, helping the Forester Sport more effectively negotiate tricky conditions.
The one available option package on the Forester Sport is attractive. For $1,645, it includes reverse automatic braking, the 8-inch Subaru Starlink Multimedia Plus system, a Harman Kardon premium audio system, and a power rear liftgate.
Adding the $1,225 destination fee to the Forester Sport base price totals $32,190. With no money down, financing for 60 months at 5% interest works out to a monthly payment of about $607. See 2023 Subaru Forester Sport models for sale near you
2023 Subaru Forester Sport includes:
- Blind-spot monitoring – This radar-based system warns of traffic in your rear three-quarter flanks. It’s grouped with a rear cross-traffic alert, which warns you of crossing traffic when the Sport is in reverse.
- SI-Drive with Sport Sharp – In Sport Sharp, you get an even quicker throttle response than you do in regular Sport mode.
- Reverse Automatic Braking – This optional system adds an automatic braking function to the rear cross-traffic alert.
2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness: $34,020
If you plan to do any off-roading in your Forester, get the Wilderness. New last year, it offers 9.2 inches of ground clearance, versus 8.7 for the standard Forester.
In addition to raised suspension, the 2023 Subaru Forester Wilderness has slightly lower gearing, an underbody skid plate, an additional oil cooler, and raised roof rails.
Visually, the Forester Wilderness is set apart by a unique front fascia, a hexagonal grille, hexagonal LED foglights, and a matte-black anti-glare hood decal. It also has more prominent wheel arch cladding.
Matte-black 17-inch alloy wheels wear all-terrain Yokohamas, the tires sporting raised white lettering on their sidewalls. A full-size spare, which stores under the rear cargo area, gives the Wilderness driver extra confidence while motoring in remote locations.
Other standard Wilderness features include automatic emergency steering, a 1-touch folding rear seatback, and reverse automatic braking. Inside, water-resistant StarTex seating surfaces complement all-weather mats and an easily cleaned cargo tray that protects this Forester from wet or muddy gear.
About the Wilderness roof rack: Subaru says it can now support up to 800 pounds when the vehicle is parked (an increase of 100 pounds over last year), allowing for larger rooftop tents.
One option package is available on the 2023 Subaru Forester Wilderness. For $1,850, you get the 8-inch Starlink Multimedia Navigation system, a premium Harman Kardon sound system, and the power rear liftgate.
Adding the $1,225 destination fee to the Forester Wilderness base price brings the total to $35,245. Financing that amount with no money down for 60 months at 5% interest works out to approximately $665 per month. See 2023 Subaru Forester Wilderness models for sale near you
2023 Forester Subaru Wilderness includes:
- Raised suspension – The Forester’s ground clearance increases from the standard 8.7 inches to Wilderness’s 9.2 inches.
- Dual-function X-Mode – Exclusive to the Wilderness, this dual-function X-Mode AWD system includes Snow/Dirt and Deep Snow/Mud modes. It will even switch to lower gear ratios on steep hills for easier climbing.
- Automatic emergency steering – Adding to the EyeSight collision-avoidance system, this technology helps drivers steer around objects at speeds less than 50 mph.
2023 Subaru Forester Limited: $33,075
The Forester Limited includes all features of the Forester Premium, then builds on that with machine-finished 18-inch alloy wheels, body-color mirrors with integrated turn signals, and gray-trimmed foglights.
More notably, the 2023 Subaru Forester Limited gains leather-trimmed upholstery, which includes a leather-wrapped steering wheel and transmission selector. Dual-zone automatic climate control also comes standard, as does automatic emergency steering, a power rear liftgate, and a 1-touch folding rear seatback.
One option package is available. For $1,695, you get reverse automatic braking, 8-inch Starlink Multimedia with navigation by TomTom, a heated steering wheel, and a premium 9-speaker Harman Kardon audio system.
Adding the $1,225 destination fee to the Forester Limited base price brings the total to $34,300. With no money down, financing for 60 months at 5% interest works out to a monthly payment of about $647. See 2023 Subaru Forester Limited models for sale near you
2023 Subaru Forester Limited includes:
- Dual-zone automatic climate control – This system, with voice activation, automatically maintains set temperatures for each side of the Forester.
- Power liftgate – You quickly appreciate these. This one’s adjustable for height.
- Leather upholstery – More luxurious than fabric and easier to clean.
2023 Subaru Forester Touring: $36,495
The top 2023 Subaru Forester configuration, the Touring, has no options.
Maybe it doesn’t need any. That’s because the Touring has everything the Forester Limited offers, plus several other features like the DriverFocus Distraction Mitigation System, which includes hand-gesture controls for the climate control system. You can quickly raise or lower the temperature inside this Forester with simple hand gestures.
Other standard features on the 2023 Subaru Forester Touring include perforated leather upholstery (in Black or Saddle Brown), a 10-way power driver’s seat with 2-position memory, an 8-way power front passenger seat, and heated outboard rear seats. The dome lights, and those in the cargo area, are all LEDs. Naturally, the steering wheel is heated.
How do you identify a Forester Touring? Look for the machine-finish 18-inch alloy wheels in dark gray or the satin chrome exterior folding mirrors with integrated turn signals. You might also spy chrome-trimmed LED foglights and silver-finish roof rails, which complement the silver color used on the front, rear, and side valances. The Touring also has chrome exterior door handles and gloss-black trim on the B- and C-pillars.
Adding the $1,225 destination fee to the 2023 Subaru Forester Touring base price brings the total to $37,720. Financing with no money down for 60 months at 5% interest works out to about $712 per month. See 2023 Subaru Forester Touring models for sale near you
2022 Subaru Forester Touring Includes:
- DriverFocus – This system can determine if the Forester Touring driver is drowsy or distracted using facial recognition technology.
- Harman Kardon Audio – This 9-speaker system has excellent sound quality.
- Reverse automatic braking – The brakes are applied automatically if this system senses a potential collision while, say, you’re backing out of your driveway.
